Art Ed Radio

Art teachers everywhere face the fact that many students struggle with creativity. Call it a crisis in creativity or spend your time looking for culprits, it is what is. This struggle manifests itself in the art room as copied Disney characters and anime sketches. But what if fan art isn't the scourge we've made it out to be? What if fan art is actually a way for a number of students to get and stay engaged with the arts outside of class. Andrew brings on Tim to hash out the debate. Listen to Tim rant about anime (4:00), and check out the guys' discussion on the importance of originality (13:00) and keeping kids interested in art once they move beyond our classrooms (21:00). Resources and Links: Check out Andrew's article about originality that he mentioned Take a listen to the episode that originally brought this conversation about AOE writer Melissa Purtee also shared her thoughts on Originality and Plagiarism

It is always difficult when you transition into a new teaching situation. Whether you are moving to a different grade level, or changing districts altogether, you can come to find out that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Andrew talks to AOE Instructor Molly Wiste about why you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help, and why you need to be patient as you go through the rocky parts that happen with every transition. Make sure you listen for the comparison between your first year of teaching and your first year someplace new (6:00), how you can differentiate yourself from the previous teacher (16:30), and the best advice to make the most of that less-than-ideal situation (23:00). Resources and Links: Check out the AOE series on your first year of teaching art at each level: Elementary Middle School High School The Differences When You Switch Levels Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School Things to Think About Before You Switch Positions

A week after Tim and Andrew worked through their frustrations with terrible art teachers, they are back to celebrate the things amazing art teachers do! The guys dive into a discussion regarding teaching with breadth, making learning transparent, and creating a positive and comfortable environment in which students can thrive. Listen for why we should always reflect on what we can do better (8:15), how you can improve every year (10:45), and what teachers in other subject areas can learn from amazing art teachers (21:00). Resources and Links: Check out the article Tim talked about during the episode. When Andrew was talking about inspiring teachers in other subject areas, he referenced this article. 7 Ways to Hit Your Stride in the Art Room 10 Projects to Help You Continue to be Amazing

There are incredible art teachers all over the country, working every day to improve their craft. These teachers care about their students, their subject, and their profession. And then there are the rest of them. They are ineffective, disinterested, and to put it bluntly, terrible art teachers, and they give the rest of us a bad name. Tim and Andrew work through their frustrations with those terrible art teachers and talk about what you can do if you find yourself slipping into these bad habits. Listen for their advice on why you need to explore new things (8:30), why you should stand up for yourself (10:00), and how to avoid the negativity that leads to terrible teaching (11:45). Resources and Links: Why it's Okay to Feel Teacher Burnout 7 Ways to Hit Your Stride in the Art Room Confessions of a Not-So-Perfect Art Teacher 10 Things to Stop Doing Now as an Art Teacher

The first year of teaching is, well, kind of an adventure. This episode highlights the trial by fire that is your first year and shares some incredible stories from listeners and AOE writers. You will definitely laugh, you might cry, and you will undoubtedly be inspired as Tim and Andrew share stories to help you navigate your first year of teaching art. Listen for reasons why you can't expect to be perfect (8:30), advice for effective classroom management (17:30), and why we all come back to teaching after a difficult first year (28:30). Make sure you visit theartofed.comall week for more articles, advice, and information for first-year art teachers.  Resources and Links: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before this School Year Starts 12 Ways To Make the Beginning of Your School Year Run Smoothly 20 Tips For Your 1st (or 10th!) School Year Start the Year Off with a Classroom Mantra

Dealing with a long-term absence is a complicated situation and one rarely dealt with in art education. This week, Tim talks to Kelly Parvin, an art teacher from Alabama, about her fight with cancer and how she handles being gone for significant amounts of time. They discuss ways to prepare for time away (06:00), how to adapt lesson plans to help the sub fill your shoes (09:00), and the potential benefits of a different "voice" in your classroom (15:00). Resources and Links: How to Plan for a Long-Term Sub Long Term Subs: Before, During, and After Coming Back From a Leave of Absence

We all know art teachers need to actively look for ways to promote our programs. We have to show off all the great things we’re doing or we run the risk of being easy to cut when budgets get tight. A great way to advocate for your program and reach students and the community at large is by adopting social media in your classroom. In this episode, Andrew brings on his good friend and teaching soulmate, Ashley Cardamone, to discuss ways you can leverage the power of social media to best promote your art program. Andrew and Ashley go over some practical tips and tricks for choosing the social media platform that’s right for you and your classroom (8:15). They discuss possible pros and cons to using social media during the day (13:00), and finally, some time-saving tips and best practices to make sure sharing doesn’t become too time-consuming in class (14:30). Resources and Links: Teach Your Students to Use Art as a Tool for Social Advocacy The Art of Creating Digital Citizens 5 Instagram Hashtags to Use in the

We do so many superfluous things as art teachers--what can we get rid of? Tim and Andrew talk about the best ways to turn down requests when necessary and to focus on what we need to do to be great teachers. They discuss dealing with the politics of your building (8:15), focusing on your passions in teaching (11:15), and the best way to deal when you NEED to say yes (14:30).   Resources and Links: Andrew's Article on Saying No Avoiding the 'Disease to Please' How to Say No to Taking on More Work

What do you do on the first day of class with your students? Why not start creating? Rules, procedures, and expectations are undoubtedly important, but so is making art! Janine Campbell, one of the best middle school teachers around, joins Tim to talk about the ins and outs of starting your year the right way. They talk about why Janine breaks out clay on the first day of school (5:00), why we need to avoid the "sit and get" syllabus (9:30), and why it's always important to try something new (16:30).  Resources and Links: More Ideas for the First Day of School Check Out Janine's Blog on First Day Activities

Why would we want our students to think like artists when they could think like designers instead? Andrew talks about how to get students into this mode of thought by incorporating more design thinking and design curriculum in the art room. Kathryn Rulien-Baries, from the Wisconsin Visioneers program, joins Andrew to discuss modifications and alterations teachers can do right now to be more design inclusive. They talk about what makes design curriculum unique (6:45), art-making with a purpose (11:00), and whether art teachers are the most qualified to embrace design thinking (13:15). Resources and Links: What happens when kids engage in design thinking? Check out the Visioneer Design Challenge

Tim and Andrew take on a question that every teacher struggles with: how important are the Elements of Art and Principles of Design? AOE writer and choice-based education guru, Melissa Purtee, joins the guys to discuss the "E"s & "P"s. They debate whether getting away from the formal focus on the elements affects the quality of students' work (14:00), how to run critiques (17:00), and the essential ideas that should guide our program (20:30).  

Is procrastination an important part of the creative process, or is it simply laziness and avoidance? If it's integral, how do we show students deadlines and time management are important while also allowing students the time to incubate ideas? If it's not important, how do we help students deal with the down time they need to come up with their best ideas? Andrew opens the show by making a great case for why creative personalities need the chance to procrastinate, but then Tim comes on the show to tell him why he's wrong (10:00). The guys also talk about what procrastination looks like in the art room (12:30) and the best strategies for finding a balance between both sides of the argument (19:30). Resources and Links: On the Benefits of Procrastination: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/why-i-taught-myself-to-procrastinate.html?_r=0 Procrastination Makes You More Creative: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/why-i-taught-myself-to-procrastinate.html?_r=0 No Way, They Were Totally

"Craft" is a contentious word in many art rooms and art programs. Craftsmanship is an important part of what art teachers do, but "craft" is also synonymous with googly eyes and pom-poms. Many parents and members of the community have a negative association with “crafts", so how do we accurately depict what we do while also letting it be known that craftsmanship is important? Tim comes on the show, and the guys talk about the difference between art and craft (8:30), Andrew's problem with craft-based curricula (10:30), and how to turn crafty materials into a viable form of creative expression (16:00). Resources and Links: A great article (and discussion) about art vs. craft A good 5 minute TED lesson that explains the difference Moving beyond Art vs. Craft Why Preschool crafts are a waste of time

AP Studio Art is tough to get a handle on. Questions abound about the best types of work to submit, portfolio scoring, and the role of teachers in helping students develop their concepts and their work. It's time for us to unlock those secrets and start sharing our best ideas on how to teach this class. Jeanne Bjork, a longtime AP Studio Art teacher from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, joins Tim to compare notes on the structure of their AP classes. They talk about building community to start the year (05:45), their best projects and when to teach them (08:15), and what makes for a good portfolio that will score well with the College Board judges (17:30). Resources and Links: The article Tim promised at the end of the episode is here--every AP Studio Art resource you could ever want. Tim has written a few articles on teaching AP. His favorite is called Is Teaching AP Studio Art Really Worth It? Jeanne has an incredible website for her art room that you can see right here.  

If we want to offer up choice and student voice in the classroom--which just about everyone agrees we should do--how do we deal with ideas that might need to be censored? Andrew talks about how to know when students are pushing the envelope too far, and how to deal with the issue when they do (4:00). Ian Sands comes on to talk about how student choice affects expression (10:30), what he allows in his classroom (14:45), and what compromises you should be willing to make (20:00).   Resources and Links: Here are two great articles by Ian, and two more that deal with how we deal with censoring artwork. https://www.theartofed.com/2015/04/27/what-happens-when-your-students-work-is-censored/ https://www.theartofed.com/2014/09/02/when-if-ever-is-it-ok-to-draw-a-gun/ https://www.theartofed.com/2016/04/19/april-naked-vs-nude-discussion/ https://www.theartofed.com/2013/09/20/to-censor-or-not-to-censor/ If you'd like to see more from Ian Sands, check out his old articles or visit his website.

Summer offers great opportunities and possibilities to better ourselves as people, artists, and educators. This episode is the perfect tool to help you decide exactly what you are going to do this summer. Holly Bess Kincaid joins the show to talk about her Fulbright-Hays Seminar which allowed her to spend last summer in China. She talks about experiencing educational culture in China (3:00), seeing art from throughout China's history (4:30) and sharing cultural understanding with her own students (5:30). Alecia Eggers also stops by to share her six tips for making the most of your time off (9:15). So what will you do? Learn new media or techniques? Take classes? Spend time with your family? Recharge and relax? Listen to this episode, make a plan, and get the most out of these two months--no matter what you choose to do. Resources and Links: Here are some of AOE's favorite articles about summer: 12 Signs You’re Ready For Summer Vacation 10 Ways to Get Summer Break Started Off on the Right Foot 5 Ways to Get

Contemporary pop artist, Romero Britto, comes on the show to talk to Tim about his life and his work. Britto is known around the world for his colorful, bold, and optimistic artworks drawing inspiration from the joys of everyday life. He believes in art as an agent of positive change, and he and Tim discuss why this positive approach is so important. Britto also talks about his upbringing in Brazil (4:00), his biggest influences (11:15), a day in the life of an artist (15:00), and what he has coming next in his career (17:00). Resources and Links: Take a moment to look at Romero Britto’s website and read a more in-depth biography. If you are interested in hearing more from Britto, make sure you register for Art Ed Now, where he will be a featured presenter! Here are a few articles from AOE to keep that positivity going! Spreading Positivity One Sticky Note at a Time 5 Powerful Tips to Stay Perfectly Positive at Work Positivity Notes

Do art teachers need to be artists? Absolutely! We don't need to be creating work at the highest level, pursuing gallery shows every month, and constantly chasing sales. We do, however, need to be creating in some fashion; the habit of consistently creating artwork makes us better, more engaging teachers. Andrea Slusarski returns to the show as she and Tim talk about making time to make art (8:00), the higher standard to which art teachers are held (11:30), and how being an artist helps inform our teaching (15:45). Resources and Links: Check out Andrea's Instagram page and her website. Read some great AOE articles about making art: https://www.theartofed.com/2014/12/22/making-time-for-making-art/ https://www.theartofed.com/2015/01/06/should-teachers-make-art-during-class/ https://www.theartofed.com/2013/12/06/how-art-teachers-make-time-to-create-art/ https://www.theartofed.com/2015/09/23/how-to-make-art-no-matter-how-busy-you-are/ 3 of Andrea's favorite art-related sites: www.vistaprint.com (A great/affor

Art teachers everywhere can identify with the "penny-pinching blues." It seems every year art budgets are cut. Teachers have to beg, borrow, and get really creative to ensure students have enough quality supplies to last the year. In this episode, Andrew brings up broad strategies for advocating for (and using!) your budget while Tim shares some great classroom hacks to help teachers get the biggest bang for their buck. Listen up and learn how to budget like a boss! Andrew and Tim share some practical tips and tricks for stretching that art budget (14:15). These tips are especially relevant to new teachers or teachers transferring to a new building, Next, Tim and Andrew discuss some common mistakes in budgeting and ordering supplies (19:00). Finally, the guys go out on a limb to discuss how budgeting like a boss can actually add legitimacy to an art program as an advocacy piece (26:00). Resources and Links: 5 Tips to Stretch Your Art Room Budget  Get Art Supplies for Free With This Simple Tip

We've all had projects that have flopped, but how do we transition out of that failure into something meaningful? Andrew joins Tim on the show as they discuss the need to figure out how to make those failures relevant. They also talk about salvaging learning experiences for our students when things aren’t running as smoothly as we had hoped. Tim provides tips on using reflection and discussion as a learning experience (3:00). Andrew shares his ideas about what causes our projects to fail (7:00) and why he purposefully designs projects that force students to struggle (11:45). This episode has great suggestions for trying new projects in your classroom, saving lessons that go awry, and even using those lessons to teach our kids about failure. Resources and Links: https://www.theartofed.com/2013/06/20/when-to-toss-a-project/ https://www.theartofed.com/2013/02/28/cut-your-losses-when-art-projects-flop/ https://www.theartofed.com/2015/02/24/should-art-students-be-allowed-to-ditch-projects/ http://blogs.edweek.org